Sliding windows are available in various forms including forms in which the panes of a pair of panes are moveable relative to one another. A very common form of such a window includes a fixed pane and a movable or slidable pane, which is slidable vertically within the window. The slidable pane is connected to a counterbalancing weight by a suitable pulley or cord arrangement, so that upward or downward movement of the pane causes a corresponding downward or upward movement or the counterbalancing weight.
Other forms of sliding windows include two panes that are both moveable vertically within the window frame. In these forms of windows, both of the panes can include a counterbalancing weight of the above described kind so that they can be moved independently of each other, or alternatively, the panes can be connected to each other for movement with each other in opposite directions. In the latter form of window, the panes are connected to each other by a suitable pulley and cord arrangement, so that upward or downward movement of one pane causes a corresponding downward or upward movement of the other pane in the opposite direction.
Sliding windows of the above kind in which the panes are connected to each other can slide to a position of complete closure of a window opening and to an open position where they overlap in the middle of the window opening, exposing openings in the top and the bottom of the window opening. Alternatively, the panes can slide to a position where they are spaced apart to expose an opening centrally between them. Sliding panes of these kinds can also be used with fixed panes, such as upper and/or lower fixed panes, so that, for example, openings that would otherwise be formed at the top and/or bottom of a window opening can alternatively be positioned above and/or below the or each fixed pane. A relatively common arrangement is to have an upper fixed pane, or upper and lower fixed panes, and sliding panes below or between the upper or upper and fixed lower panes.
Sliding window arrangements of the above kind seek to maximise the useful opening that a window can provide while still allowing the window to be fully closed. The purchaser of a two-pane sliding window of the above described kind must therefore select prior to installation whether they want to have a window that provides a central opening between two spaced apart panes, or a window that provides top and bottom openings on either side. In either case, the window purchaser is generally looking to have the greatest possible opening formed within the window frame, along with the greatest possible simplicity in window operation and the least bulk (or most compact form).
The present applicant has therefore sought to develop a new and improved window assembly that provides one or more of the outcomes that a window purchaser looks for.